1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for decreasing a shooter's reaction time in aiming a gun at a flying clay pigeon or pigeons in trap shooting and other clay target sports and more particularly, to a T-shaped reaction time enhancer which is characterized by an elongated, horizontal bar provided with a shorter, vertical bar attached to the bottom surface of the horizontal bar. In a preferred embodiment the reaction time enhancer includes a green lamp mounted on the front surface of the vertical bar and seven spaced orange lamps mounted on the front surface of the horizontal bar. The vertical bar houses an electrical circuit which is suitably adapted for illuminating the lamps in one of two different modes, the first of which simulates shooting singles handicap trap shooting and the other, doubles trap shooting.
Trap shooting is conventionally conducted at several stations positioned behind a "trap house", which encloses a trap-throwing gun that throws clay pigeons from the trap house. The clay pigeons are thrown from the trap house as singles or doubles in random directions, ranging from far left to far right and at various angles in between and rise at these angles away from the shooter. In singles trap shooting, a shooter typically first aims his or her shotgun at the top center of the trap house, a clay pigeon is thrown from the trap house in a random direction and the shooter, as quickly as possible, transfers his aim from the trap house to lead or point and shoot the clay pigeon. In doubles trap shooting, a first clay pigeon is thrown from the trap house in a random direction as in the singles trap procedure, and either simultaneously or shortly thereafter, a second clay pigeon is thrown from the trap house in a random direction. The shooter shoots the first clay pigeon, then as quickly as possible, aims at and shoots the second clay pigeon. The orange lamps of the reaction time enhancer of this invention simulate various possible random positions of a thrown clay pigeon relative to the top center of the trap house, which is simulated by the green lamp. A user mounts the reaction time enhancer on a wall, chooses a single or double trap shooting mode and stands at a distance of about four feet from his or her eyes, to the wall. In the first, or singles, trap shooting mode the user initially aims a gun at the green lamp, which is illuminated for about ten seconds. The green lamp is then automatically extinguished and simultaneously, one of the orange lamps is randomly illuminated for about three seconds. The user then immediately transfers his aim from the extinguished green lamp to the illuminated orange lamp. After the orange lamp is extinguished, the green lamp is again illuminated and the user returns his aim to the green lamp. In the second, or doubles trap shooting mode, the user first aims at the green lamp and then at a randomly-illuminated orange lamp, as in the first mode, but a second orange lamp is randomly illuminated at the same time the first orange lamp is extinguished, and the user as quickly as possible transfers his or her aim from the first, extinguished orange lamp to the second, illuminated orange lamp. The second orange lamp is then extinguished as the green lamp is again illuminated. Instead of aiming at the lamps using a gun, the user may point with a hand and finger or hold the enhancer by the stem of the "T" in the right hand at arm's length and observe the various lamps as they are illuminated. Through repeated use of the reaction time enhancer, a user can significantly decrease his or her reaction time in aiming a shotgun at a flying clay pigeon or game bird.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices for decreasing a shooter's reaction time to a rapidly-moving target such as a clay pigeon, are known in the art. U.S. Patent No. 2,995,834, dated Aug. 15, 1961, to Carl B. Rowe, describes a "Wing-Shot Training Device", characterized by a stationary projector which projects and moves a spot of light on a screen to simulate the flight of a bird or a clay pigeon. A gun provided with a spot projector is used by the shooter, who aims the gun at the target spot produced by the stationary projector and pulls the trigger so that the spot projector illuminates a spot on the screen. If the "fired" spot lies in part on the target spot, the gunner has scored a hit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,563, dated Apr. 14, 1981, to Adolph E. Goldfarb, discloses an "Electronic Time Reaction Game Apparatus" characterized by a rectangular housing which includes a pair of opposed player-ends and a microprocessor powered by a battery. Multiple, spaced player response lights are longitudinally disposed on each player-end. The microprocessor generates a "player ready" signal and, after a time interval of random length, initiates a "player start" signal. Each player then attempts to anticipate the opponent's action and as quickly as possible, selects and presses the appropriate one of two response buttons provided on each player-end, energizing one of the response lights and generating a score. U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,144, dated Aug. 6, 1985, to Manual Juarez, et al., details an "Electronic Game", in which multiple target lamps are individually transiently energized by timing circuitry. Hazard weapons, which are interspersed among the target lamps and are actuated by timing circuitry, emit infrared beams at a participant standing within a player zone in front of the target lamps. The participant fires a target weapon at an energized target lamp, generating points indicated on a digital display when a photosensor on the target weapon detects accurate aiming of the target weapon on the energized target lamp at the same time the trigger is pulled. The game is terminated when the participant has expended all of the allotted shots at the targets or when the infrared beam from an activated hazard weapon is intercepted by the body of the game participant. U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,595, dated Aug. 8, 1989, to Kurt Eichweber, describes a "Firearm Aiming Simulator Device" for practice in aiming a firearm at a target. The device includes an optical aiming system for aiming a laser beam at a target, which is provided with several different groups of reflectors for reflecting the laser beam and allowing determination of the laser beam striking point. U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,096, dated Oct. 16, 1990, to Anwar S. Khattak, et al details a "Device and Method for Improving Shooting Skills", characterized by a laser diode or a light-emitting diode which shoots a laser or light beam through a collimating lens and a hollow shaft, and then to a prism rotated by a motor. The revolving prism forms a substantially circular reflecting image. When a shooter aims at a moving clay pigeon target, the shooter moves the gun barrel through a sweeping line of sight along the target flight path until the moving target intersects a point on the circumference of the circular reflecting image, thus indicating to the shooter that a proper lead has been achieved for successfully shooting the moving target. In addition to the devices described above, various diagrams for practice in quickly aiming a gun at a moving target such as a clay pigeon, are known in the art.
It is an object of this invention to provide a reaction time enhancer for decreasing a user's reaction time in aiming a gun at moving targets such as clay pigeons or targets in trap shooting and other clay target sports, which reaction time enhancer is characterized by a "T"-shaped structure including multiple, spaced, orange lamps provided on the front surface of a horizontal bar and a single green lamp provided on the front surface of a vertical bar mounted on the bottom surface of the horizontal bar, the vertical bar containing an electrical circuit suitable for selectively operating the lamps in a first mode for simulating singles trap shooting and a second mode for simulating doubles trap shooting.
It is another object of this invention to provide a "T"-shaped reaction time enhancing device which incorporates a suitable electrical circuit for operating multiple, horizontally-spaced orange lamps and a single green lamp in a mode for simulating singles trap shooting and other clay target sports, in which the green lamp is initially illuminated for a few seconds, the shooter aims a shotgun at the green lamp, the green lamp is then extinguished and simultaneously, one of the seven orange lamps is randomly illuminated, the shooter as quickly as possible then transfers his aim from the extinguished green lamp to the illuminated orange lamp, the orange lamp is then extinguished and the green lamp is again illuminated, and the user finally returns his aim to the green lamp.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a reaction time enhancer which includes a conventional electrical circuit for operating seven horizontally-spaced orange lamps and a single green lamp in a mode for simulating doubles trap shooting, in which the green lamp is first illuminated for a few seconds, the user/shooter aims a shotgun at the green lamp, the green lamp is then extinguished and simultaneously one of the seven orange lamps is randomly illuminated, the user/shooter then, as quickly as possible, transfers his or her aim from the extinguished green lamp to the illuminated orange lamp, the orange lamp is extinguished and a second orange lamp is simultaneously randomly illuminated, the user/shooter then immediately transfers his or her aim from the first, extinguished orange lamp to the second illuminated orange lamp, the second orange lamp is then extinguished, the green lamp is again illuminated and the user/shooter returns his or her aim to the illuminated green lamp.